Grain-scourer



6 SheetsSheet l.

P. PROVOST.

GRAIN SGOURER.

(No Model.)

Patented Feb. 26, 1889;

I/VVE/VTUH R WITNESSES.

625" VFLOQ n. pzrzws, Pholc-Lrthognphcr. Walhmglon. nv c.

6 Sheets--Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

P. PROVOST.

GRAIN SGOURER.

N0,,3 8,538. Patented Feb. 26, 1889.

mlla

IIVVEIVTORI WITNESSES:

ATTORNEYS.

N PETERS. Phmo-um n mr. wnmn mn. 11C.

. 6'SheetsSheet 3. P. PROVOST.

(No Model.)

GRAIN SGOURER.

Patente-d:1?eb.26, 1889.

llll VE/VTOH WITNESSES.-

ATTORNEYS.

N PETERS. Flwmiflbogvaphcr. Washinglcn. D. c.

(No Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet 4.

P. PROVOST.

GRAIN SGOURER.

No. 398,538. Patented Feb. 26, 1889.

IIVVEIVTOR' WITNESSES.

ATTORNEYS.

Mv PETERS. PhblwLllhcgnphcn Washmglon. D.c

(No Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet 5.

P. PROVOST.

GRAIN, SGOURER.

No. 398,538. Patented Feb. 26, 1889.

WITNESSES: mvrnlrofl A TTOHWEYS.

6 Sheets-Sheet 6. P. PROVOST.

(No Model.)

GRAIN SGOURER.

No. 398,538. Patented Feb. 26, 1889.

IIVI/EIVTOR,

WITNESSES.

ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERS, Phulo-Liihogmphcr. washm mn, u. c.

rricit.

PETER PROVOST, OF MENOMINEE, MICHIGAN.

GRA|N-SCOURER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 398,538, dated February26, 1889.

Application tiled AprillS, 1888. Serial No- 270,51'7- (N0 model.)

State of Michigan, have invented a new and i Improved Grain-Cleaner, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

'lheinventiou consists of certain partsand details and combinations ofthe same, as will be hereinafter fully tlQSttl'lbOd, and then pointedout in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of re terence iiu'licatecorresponding parts in all. the figures.

Figure 1 is an end elevation of the improvement with parts in section.Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the same on the line 0050 ofFig. 1. Fig. i is a plan view of the improvement with the cap insection, the I through suitable openings in the cylinder A.

top being removed. Fig. l is a sectional plan View of the improvement onthe line y y of I is a similar view oi. the same on the line .9 s

of Fig.

The improved grain-clean er is prorided with a stationary cylinder, A,having a rectangular top, A, and provided on its inside throughoutnearly the whole length with a lining, A made of wire screen.

On the rectangular top A, and forming therewith a dust-chamber,

A is set a cap, B, semicircular in shape, and

provided at its front end, B, with an opening, B adapted to be closed bya swinging lid, B pivoted on the said end B. The other end of the cap Bis made in two pieces, B and B of which the part B is stationary and thepart B is hinged to the said part B', and provided with an arm, B, foropening or closing the said hinged part B. On this end of the chamber Ais secured a down wzitrdlyextend ing closed chamber, 0, adapted to beopened into the cap B by the said hinged part 13 as is plainly shown inFig. 1. On the lower end of the chamber C are formed the hinged doors 0,and the sliding doors C" are also secured 1 'nected with the chute G".

on the lower part of the said chamber C to permit a View of the insideof the said chamber C, in order to find out whether the lower part ofthe chamber C is filled with dust and other substances.

In the upper end of the cylinder A is formed a chamber, I). provided inits top plate with a number of openings, 1), adapted to be opened andclosed by hinged covers D", operated by rods D, extending through thesides of the cap B. In the said chamber 1) is a fan, E, secured to thevertical shat't F, which is mounted centrally in the cylinder A onsuitable bearings, and extending throughoutthe entire length of thelatter. ()n the lower end of the shaft F is secured a pulley, over whichpasses a belt, F connected with suitable mzichinerv for imparting arotary motion to the said shaft F. The belt F extends Below the chamberD is formed a chamber,

G, con nectcd by one, two, or more pipes or fl ues,

G, with the interior of the chamber A as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and3. These pipes serve to conduct the moisture from chamber G to thechamber A, through which it passes to the chamber 1), and out throughthe discharge apertures or opei'iings D", formed in casing A, as shownin Fig. 1. Into this cha1nber Gr opens a chute, G secured to the outsideof the casing A and supporting at its top a steam-cylinder, H. Thiscylinder is provided on its upper end with an inwardl and downwardlyinclined llange, ll. the innerend of which rests on the top end of aperforated cylinder, 11*, held concentrically in the said steam-cylinderII, and forming a steam-chamber, ll, therewith. The lowerend of theperforated cylinder ll opens on a conical valve, H adapted to be seatedon the seat H con- The valve H is secured on a valve-stem, ll' screwingin the chute G so as to regulate the amount of opening between the saidvalve li and the seat I1.

Into the steam-chainber ll leads a steampipe, H and from the lower endof the said steam-chamber H leads a pipe, ll, for carrying off the waterof condensation. \Vith the said steam-chamber H also conneetthe pipes Hextending inward into the perforated cylinder H and opening into theinterior of a semicircular nozzle, H perforated at its upper end, andserving as a distributer for, the grain entering on the flange H of thecylinder H. The pipes H" support the said nozzle H and the latter, onaccount of its spherical shape, distributes the entering grain equallyin the cylinder ll at the same time subjecting the grain passing overthe said nozzle H to the action of the steam passing through theperforations in the top of said nozzle.

In the chamber G operates a wheel, 1, provided with inclined blades 1and secured to the revolving shaft F. This wheel I serves to press thegrain entering through the chute G2 downward on the concave disk J,provided I 5 in its middle with an opening, J, and secured to theinterior of the cylinder A. On the top surface of the disk J operates anagitator, L, provided with a hub, L, secured to the shaft F, and fromthe said hub L extend the radial. upwardlyinclined arms L which agitatethe grain entering through the chute G and passing on the disk J beforethe said grain falls through the opening J in the said diskJ. The bottomof the disk J is made of a 2 5 wire screen, K, having a central openingcorresponding to the opening J in the disk J.

Directly below the screen K of the disk J a Hat disk, N, is secured by asuitable hub to the shaft F, and on the top of the said flat o disk Nare secured the radial arms N, (see Fig. 7 and on the bottom of the saidflat disk is secured a wire screen, N Said disk N extends to within ,ashort distance of the interior of the cylinder A, leaving sufficientroom 3 5 for the kernels of the grain to pass downward between theperiphery of the said disk N and the lining A of the cylinder A.Directly below disk N a concave disk, J, is secured to the shaft,similar in construction and shape to the one above described, and alsoprovided with a central opening, J, and a bottom screen, K. Next to thisdisk J, and secured to the shaft F, is another fiat disk N, provided onthe top and bottom with radial arms,

and wire screens, respectively, as above described in reference to thefirst disk N. Any number of such concave disks J and flat disks N may beplaced one above the other, as shown in Fig. 2.

The lowest disk N discharges into a chamber, 0, having a bottom plate,0, in which is an opening, 0 adapted to be opened and closed by a valve,S, secured to a valve-stem, S, extending downward an d outward, andbeing provided with a hand-wheel, S Fig. 9,

for raising and lowering said valve S, in order to open and close theopening In the chamber 0 a curved arm, P, is secured by a suitable hubto the revolving shaft l said arm P being close to the bottom 0', andserv- The operation is as follows: The shaft F is set in motion, so asto impart a rotary motion to the arm P, the several disks N, theagitator L, the wheel I, and the fan-wheel E. The grain to be cleaned isdischarged on the inclined flange II of the cylinder ll, so that thegrain passes over the semicircular nozzle H and is there subjected tothe action of steam passing through the perforations of the nozzle H Thedownwardlyfalling grain then comes in contact with the periphery of thecylinder I1 and is again subjected to the action of the steam emittedthrough the perforations of the said cylinder 11 so that through thedouble action of the steam foreign substances adhering to the kernelsare loosened, as the said steam subjects the grain to a bath. The grain,passing downward through the cylinder I1 passes on the conical valve Hand from the latter falls through the valve-seat H into the chute Gwhich delivers the grain into the chamber G, from which it passes on theinclined surface of the first concave disk J. The rotating wheel I, withits inclined blades 1, serves to press the kernels downward 011 the topsurface of the said disk J, and the inclined radial arms L of theagitator L cause the kernels to be turned over and over before theyfinally reach the opening J in the disk J. The grain passing through theopening J falls on the disk N between the arms N, secured on the top ofthe said disk, and by the centrifugal force of the said arms N the grainis moved outward and is rubbed against the wire screen K, forming thebottom of the concave disk J. The radial arms N hold the grain on therevolving disk N, but permit an outward motion of the said grain, at thesame time rubbing the grain against the wire screen K. The kernels ofgrain finally reach the periphery of the disk N and drop over the latterand on the next concave disk J. The kernels thus passing on this disk Jmove downward on the inclined top surface of the same and pass throughthe opening J into the next follow ing disk N, to be again treated inthe same manner as above described in reference to the first disk N. Thegrain will rise sufficiently high in its passage through and past thedisks J N to be acted upon by the roughened surfaces formed by thescreens N or portions thereof. The mass of grain, being acted upon byboth sides of the disks N, as well as by the wire-screen bottoms K ofthe concave disks J and the screen A will be so distributed that littleor none will fail to be cleaned. The grain passing off of. the last diskLT falls on the bottom plate, 0, of the chamber 0, and is pushed by thecurved arm P toward and into the opening 0 from which the grain, whenthe valve S is open, passes over the said valve S and into the chamberQ, and down the latter through the chute Q to the outside of thecylinder A. The amount of grain permitted to pass through the opening 0is regulated by adjusting the valve S. The rotary IIO il'lOVO'l'llQllllof the shaft F causes the fan-wheel E to create a suction in the cap Bwhen the covers D of the openings 1) are partly or wholly open, so thatthe impurities and 100s cued particles of the grain passing into thechamber Q are drawn from the latter into the channel R and up the sameinto the cap I The hinged part of one end of the cap B is opened, sothat the heavier particles pass over the said hinged part B into thechamber C and accumulate on the bottom of the same. \Vhen a suificientamount has accumulated in this chamber 0, the hinged part B is closedand the doors 0' are opened to permit the accumulated impurities to passout of the lower end of the chamber C. The doors (3' are then againclosed and the hinged part B is again opened. The lighter particlesdrawn up by the suction of the fan E pass into the chamberD and aredischarged from the same through the openings D in the said cylinder A.It will be seen that the grain is first subjected to a steam bath in thecylinder H, and is then delivered to the chamber G and permitted to passto the disk N, which, in connection with the wire screen K, removes theloosened particles of the kernels, so that the latter, with the looseparts, finally pass into the chamber Q, in which the impurities areseparated from the cleaned kernels.

The interior of the cylinder A is intended to be constantly full ofgrain, so as to facilitate the cleaning process by causing the kernelsto rub against each other and against the several parts located in theinterior of the cylinder, as above described.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent 1. The combination, with the cylinder having adust-chamber and suctioirfan therefor at its upper end, a grain-inletleading into the upper end of the cylinder, and a dischargechute at thelower end of the cylinder, of pipes leading from the upper end of thecylinder into the dust-chamber, a channel leading from said chuteupwardly into the dustchamber, and the shaft provided withcleaning-disks in said cylinder, substantially as set forth.

2. in a grain-cleaner, the combination, with a cylinder provided with awire-screen lining and a suitable inlet, of an imperforatc concave diskhaving a central opening and secured to the said cylinder, a shaftjournaled cenl rally in the said cylinder, an agitator having inclinedradial arms and secured to the said rotatin shaft, said arms extendingon the top surface of the said concave disk, and a flat disk secured tothe shaft below the said central opening and of less diamcterthan thesaid cylinder, substantially as shown and dc scribed.

I In a grain-cleaner, the combination, with a cylinder provided withwirescreen lining and a suitable inlet, of a concave disk having acentral opening and secured to the said cyl- 1 inder, a shaft mountedcentrally in the said cylinder and having a rotary movement, an agitatorhaving inclined radial arms and secured to the said rotating shaft, saidarms extendin on the top surface of the said concave disk, and a wheelsecured to the said shaft directly above the said agitator and providedwith inclined blades, so as to press the grain downward onto the saidagitator and concave disk, substantially as shown and described.

4-. Ina grain-cleaner, the combination, with a cylinder provided with awirc-scrcen lining and a suitable grain-inlet, of a shaft mountedcentrally in the said cylinder, a fan secured on the said shaft andlocated in a chamber formed in the top of the said cylinder, saidchamber being provided in its top plate with openings, covers adapted toopen and close said openings, a cap fitting over the top of the saidcylinder and forming therewith a dustchamber, and pipes leading from theinterior of the cylinder into the said dust-chamber, so as to draw themoisture out of the said cylinder by the action of the said fanqvhecl,substantially as shown and described.

5. In a graincleaner, a cylinder having a wire-screen lining, a shaftjournaled centrally in the said cylinder, a series of concave diskshaving central openings and secured to the interior of the saidcylinder, disks secured to the said shaft between the succeeding concavedisks, and an arm secured to the said shaft for discharging the grainfrom the cylinder into a chamber, in combination with the said chamber,a channel leading 'from the said chamber upward, a cap held on the upperend of the said cylinder and forming therewith a dust-chamber, intowhich said channel discharges, a fan-wheel secured to the said shaft andlocated in a chamber connected with the said dust-chamber, pipes leading from the said dust-chamber to the upper part of the said cylinder,and a chamber formed on the said cap and connected with the interior ofthe same by a hinged part, substantially as shown and described.

6. In a grain-cleaner, the combination, with a lined cylinder, A, andshaft F, journaled in the said cylinder, of the chute G discharging thesteamed grain into the said cylinder, the concave disks J, having thecentral openings, J, and fastened in the said cylinder, the flat disksN, provided with the arms N, the chamber 0, formed in the said cylinderA and having the opening 0 in its bottom, the arm P, secured to the saidshaft F and forcing the grain into the said opening 0 the valve S,adapted to open and close said opening 0 the chamber Q, into which openssaid valve, and provided with a chute, Q, leading to the outside of thecylinder A, the channel R, opening into the said chamber Q and extendingupward, the cap B, held on the top of the said cylinder and forming adust-chamber, the chamber D, formed in the top of the cylinder A andcommunicating with the said dustchamber, the fan E, secured to the shaftin the said cylinder, the chute G, leading into 1 the said cylinder, theconcave disks J, having central openings, J, and fastened in the saidcylinder, the flat disks N, provided with the arms N, the chamber 0,formed in the said cylinder A and having the opening 0 in its bottom,the arm P, secured to the said shaft F and forcing the grain into thesaid opening 0 the valve S, adapted to open and close said opening 0 thechamber Q, into which opens said valve S, and provided with a chute, Q,

leading to the outside of the cylinder A, the

channel R, opening into the said chamber Q shaft F and within the saidchamber D, the hinged end B" of the said cap B, the pipes G, 1

leading from the dust-chamber to the interior of thecylinder A, and thechamber C,opening into the cap B and provided with the outlet-door C,substantially as shown and described.

8. In a grain-cleamzr, the combination, with and fastened in the saidcylinder, the fiat disks N, provided With the arms N,the chamberO,formed in the said cylinderA and having the opening 0 in its bottom,the arm P, secured to the said shaft F and forcing the grain into thesaid opening 0 the valve S, adapted to open and close said opening 0 thechamber Q, into which opens said valve S, and provided with a chute, Q,leading to the outside of the cylinder A, the channel R, opening intothe said chamber Q and extending upward, the cap B, held on the top ofthe said cylinder and forming a dust-chamber, the chamber D, formed inthe top of the cylinder A and having openings D in its top to Vcommunicate with said dust-ch amber, the fan and extending upward, thecap B, held on the 5 top of the said cylinder and forming a dustchamber,the chamber D, formed in the top 1 of the cylinder A and communicatingwith said 3 dust-chamber, the fan-wheel E, secured to the E, secured tothe shaft F and Within the said chamber D, the hinged end B of said capB, the pipes G, leading from the dilSt-Cllflllb her to the interior ofthe cylinder A, the covers D hinged on the top plate of the chamber Dover the openings D, and the rods D extending through the cap B andserving to operate said covers D substantially as shown and described.

PETER PROVOST. Witnesses:

BYRON S. WAITE, A. L. SAWYER.

